Posted by Chester Morton / Tuesday 26 January 2016 / No comments
Parental responsibility, the example of Eli the priest
THE PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY OF ELI
(1 Samuel 2:11-36, 3:2-18, 4:10-22)
Eli was the Priest at Shiloh. He had two sons called Hophni
and Phinehas. When Eli became old, he appointed these sons to serve as Priests in
his stead.
Hophni and Phinehas did not walk in the ways of their
father. They were worthless and did not have regard for the Lord. For
example, when the people of Israel offer sacrifices to the Lord, the sons of Eli would send
their servants with three-pronged forks to take meat from the boiling pot. They
dipped the fork in the pot and any part of the meat that was brought was sent
to them.
Sometimes, before the meat was burnt, the sons of Eli would
demand raw meat. When they were told to wait for the fat to be burnt as a tribute to
God, they would threaten to take it by force.
The sons of Eli also slept with the women who served in the
Temple. In fact, the sins of Eli’s sons were great in the site of the Lord.
When Eli heard the sins of his children and how they slept
with the women in the Temple, he indicated to them how unhappy he was about
their actions. He rebuked them. He told them, for example, that if a man sins
against man, God can intercede for him but if a man sins against God, nobody can
intercede for him. The sons of Eli did not listen to their father.
A man of God came to tell Eli the things that God had
revealed he was going to do. But it did not change anything. For example, the
man of God said, God would cut off the strength of Eli’s house and that there
would be no elder in Eli’s house.
Elkana and Hannah had brought their son, Samuel to serve God
at Shiloh under Eli, in fulfillment of a promise they had made to God. Samuel
was, therefore, ministering to the Lord under Eli. One day, God revealed to
Samuel what he was about to do in Israel. God said anybody whose two ears shall hear
the matter shall tingle.
God declared that he was going to punish the house of Eli
because the latter did not restrain his sons when they were misbehaving.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE SINS OF ELI'S SONS
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE SINS OF ELI'S SONS
In a battle with the Philistines, Israel was routed and the
army fled. Four thousand Israelite foot soldiers died. The two sons of Eli,
Hophni and Phinehas were killed. The Philistines captured the Ark of God. When
Eli heard that his two sons had died and the Ark of the Lord had been captured, he tumbled backward from his chair, broke
his neck and died. He was 98 years old.
The wife of Phinehas, was pregnant at the time. When she heard
that the Ark God had been captured, his father-in-law, Eli and her husband had
died, she went into premature labour and delivered a baby. She died after a safe
delivery but before she died, she named the child Ichabod, meaning the glory of
God had departed from Israel.
HOW ELI FAILED AS A PARENT
1. Eli failed to instill the ways of the Lord in his children.
2. He failed to judge the true character of his children.
3. He was not firm in disciplining the children.
4. He gave up on the children too early.
THE EFFECTS OF BAD PARENTING
LESSONS THAT CAN BE DERIVED FROM ELI’S ATTITUDE.
1. Parents should have time to teach their children the word
of God.
2. It is important that a family pray together.
3. Parents should teach their children the fear of the Lord
in everything they do.
4. It is important to heed the warnings of men of God.
5. One must point out to children the consequences of
boy-girl relationships.
6. Any disobedient act toward God has its evil repercussions.
WAYS IN WHICH PARENTS CAN FULFILL THEIR PARENTAL OBLIGATION
TO THEIR CHILDREN
1. Providing children’s material needs, like food,
clothing, and shelter.
2. Satisfying their emotional and psychological needs, like
exhibiting love to them.
3. Ensuring that they are well educated according to their ability.
4. Ensuring that they are provided with adequate healthcare.
Where there is not enough money, making sure they are enrolled with the
National Health Insurance Scheme.
5. Give the children a good moral and religious education.
6. Ensuring that the child grows with good moral values.
7. Preventing the child from committing sin.HOW ELI FAILED AS A PARENT
1. Eli failed to instill the ways of the Lord in his children.
2. He failed to judge the true character of his children.
3. He was not firm in disciplining the children.
4. He gave up on the children too early.
THE EFFECTS OF BAD PARENTING
1. The children become truants, skipping school, etc.
2. The children end up in the streets.
3. They drop out of school at an early age.
4. Some may become drug addicts.
5. The girls become pregnant in their teens making the boys
become pre-matured fathers.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. a. To what extent was the moral weakness of Eli’s
children due to their father’s lack of parental responsibility?
b. How did God
react to this lapse?
2. a. Explain how Eli failed as a parent?
b. In what six
ways did Israel suffer as a result of Eli’s parental irresponsibility?
c. State three
lessons that can be derived from the attitude of Eli?
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